Friction-clutch.



H. J. WELLS.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

A PPLwATIo-N 111mm PEB. 1, 19m.

Patented. Aug. 9,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.-

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@vitae/.aseo i H. J, WELLS.

957,999 .L 1m Patented Aug. 9, 1919.

i asHEBTs-sn ipo ,HARVEY J'. WELLS, OF ELKHART, INDIANA.

anteriori-CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Auge, 191e.

Application filed February 1, 1910. Serial No. 541,329.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY J. Vnnns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkhart., in the county of Elkhart and State of Indiana, have invented a new and ruseful Friction-Clutch., of which the following is a specification.

,This invention relates to friction clutches particularly designed for use in connection .with the driving gear of automobiles and it is more especially designed as an improvement upon the structure disclosed in Patent No. 837,732, issued on December L1, 1906. In devices of this character heretofore constructed the friction thrust collars have been keyed or otherwise attached to the driven or to the drive element but such connection has resulted in the adherence of said collars to the drive or driven element to an objectionw able extent during either the expansion or the contraction of the expansible friction ring, thus rendering the structure unreliable for use in automobile structures.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide'a clutch wherein only a thin auxiliary disk is connected to the driving clement, the remainder of the clutch mechant ism being free to revolvetherein.

With these and other objects in view the .invention consists in certainnovel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the pre- .ferrcd form ofthe invention has been shown.

ln said drawings Figure 1 is a central sect-ion through-i a clutch embodying the presend improvements. Fig. 2 is a section on line AMB, Fig. l. 'Fig 3 is a perspective view of the expansilel ring and the thrust collars.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a cylindrical casing open aty one end, the said end being normally closedfby a screw cap 2 which may be locked against rotation in any preferred manner as by means of keys 3 inthe form of screws inserted throng the flange portion of tho cap and intoi openings 4 formed within the casing.d The shaft which constitutes the Adriven clement, is extended through an opening fformed in theenterlof the cap and the end of the shaft also projects into a central opening within the end of the casing 1, said opening being indicated at 7. This shaft which the feather 9 extends.

hasl a key seat `8 in which is arranged a feather 9. .A slide collar 10 is mounted on the shaft and lis provided with a tapered wedging gland 11 designedv to move into the cap Q and the casing l, the said collar' and gland being held against rotation by the ke \7 or feather 9.

The feather 9 engages a thin metal disk 12 ofsteel or the like and which has one or more notches 13 in its periphery for the reception of locking screws 14 which are removably mounted within the casing 1. Friction disks or washers 15 and 1G respectively extend around the shaft 5 and bear against opposed faces of the disk 12. Another friction. washer 17 is arranged upon the inner end of the casing and about the shaft while an additional friction washer 19 is arranged upon the inner face of the cap 2. friction disk, preferably of cast iion` is interposed between the washers 15 and 17, as indicated at. 19, the said disk being engaged. b v the key or feather 9 so as to rotate at all times with the shaft 5.

Opposed thrust collars 20 and 21 are mounted for rotation withiny the casing 1 and between the washers 16 and 18, the said collars being also loose on the shaft 5. The two collars are of a duplicate construction and are provided in their opposing sides with dished contact faces Q2 which register and frictionally engage with the respective faces of the eXpansible friction ring Q3. This ring is made up of a plurality of sections a, as shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, the outer or peripheral edges of the sec tions being grooved for the reception of a split ring Q4 formed of spring' metal. This ring serves to bind the sections a together. One of the sections a has a notch 25 through The opening formed thi'oueh the center of the expansible disk is tapered so as to receive the tapered gland 11 heretofore referred to. This opening` has been indicated at 26.

lt will be apparent thatI when the gland 11 is 4partly withdrawn from the easing 1 the spring ring 24 will contract the disk 23 so as. to relieve the collars 9.0 and 21 from the eX- panding action thereof and thus free the disk 19 of pressure between the washers 15 and 17,. Obviously, therefore, the driving element or casing 1 will be free to rotate without producing a corres onding movement ofthe shaft 5, the 'on y part ofthe sel h-.againstthe Washer 16.

turn be forced against disk l2 and that in clutch rotating with said casing 1 being the disk 12 Which is keyed to the casing. When turn against Washer 15. The disk 19 will thus be clamped between the washers 15 and 17 and all of the parts being therefore firmly `held,together by friction, it will be apparent that motion will Ibe transmitted from the driving element or easing 1 through the disk 12 to disk 19 which is keyed uponthe shaft 5 and will thus rotate it. 'i

vIn View of the small siirface engaging the easing l it will be apparent, that as sooiras the gland Il isfretracted and the disk 2f- `contracied. thel frictionat eontaet between the parts will diminish to snc'h an extent as to promptly release the shaft from thedriving action of/ the/,casing 1.

Attention is directed to the fact that in the present\structure the disk 12 may be considered as* the driving element while the disk 19 may be considered as the driven element, the hrst mentioned disk, 12, of course receiving motion from the easing 1 Whilethe second disk, 19, is the only one of the driven parts which is keyed to and therefore' rotates with the shaft 5.

' .lt will be seen that-'the clutch herein de-l scrafJed is very simple. durable and compact in construction aml it has been found particularly adapted for use in automobile structures.

Various changes can of course be made in the construction andv arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with a casing constitilting` a driving element, of a'relatively thin disk having anotclied periphery, said disk being located within the casing, radially extending nie-ans "within the casing and proj ectiiig into the yifotches to holdA said. disk 'and casing agninst/independent rotation, a

shaft liniinteifl forrotation within the disk and casing, i driven disk keyed upon the Vshaft,thrust collars mounted to rotate within the casi'ng'and upon the shaft, an expanding disk interposed between the collars, and means for expanding said disk of the shaft.

2. The combination with a casing and a disk keyed therein and revoluhle therewith, ofa shaft mounted for rotation within the casing, a driven disk keyed iipoii'theshaft and revolubly mounted within the casing, friction washers bearing upon opposed faces of the two disks, means loosely mounted within the casing for shifting the disks and washers to bind them frietionally together,

yand an element movable. upon the shaft for lo'i' exl'iauding the disk lo shiil the collars,

said collars being adapted io move the disks' and washers inlo frictional contact.

' l. 'lhe combination with a casing constitilting a driving element, of a disk having a notched periphery, said disk being mounted within the casing, means within said`\,casl ing and projecting' into the notches for holding the disk and easing against independent rotation, a shaft mounted for rotation within the disk and casing, a driven disk keyed upon the shaft, friction Washers p contacting with the faces ofthe disks, thrust collars loosely mounted within the casing and upon (he shall. an expanding disk interposed between said collars. and a wedging gland feathered upon the shaft and movable into the expanding disk.

5. .The combination with a driving casing and a disk keyed thereto and revoluble therewith, -of a shaft extendingl into the casing and loosely mounted within the disk, a driven disk keyed upon the shaft, thrust collars mounted to rotate Within the casing and upon the shaft, said collars being slidable on said shaft and in the casing, an expanding disk keyed upon the shaft and iiiterposed between the collars, and ineansvfor expanding said disk to shift the collars `and friction disk longitudinally of thoshaft.

In. testimony that I claim the foregoing as to shift the collars and disk longitudinally my own, l have hereto afliXed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

' HARVEY J. WELLS. Witnesses Enrrii L. LUK'EY, EARL CQRICE. 

